Why Upset Over AOS Wait?

[Going through 5,671]

Everyone handles immigration stress differently, is all I can say really.  Some stress out about waiting for valid reasons, some don't stress out for valid reasons.

 

During my  AOS days, I didn't stress out about it as much as I did over applying for citizenship.

[geowrian 22,338]

Until AOS is approved:

• You could become unlawfully present at any moment if AOS is denied.
• You cannot work until you have an EAD.
  • You cannot get an SSN until you have an EAD (barring those who can & did obtain one before their legal status expired).
  • A Social Security card obtained via K-1 status or an EAD is restricted ("Requires DHS Authorization" is printed across it).
• You cannot travel abroad (and return) until you have AP.
  • Travel on AP is not only not guaranteed (only USCs are guaranteed entry). But being denied entry with a clean record and valid LPR status is extremely unlikely...less likely than traveling on AP.
  • If AOS is denied while you are abroad (on AP), you are SOL and need a new visa to enter.
• You don't have an actual legal status...just authorized stay.
  • As such, you cannot get a state ID or driver's license in some states (or it expires shortly).
  • In Real ID states, the state ID or driver's license will state that it is not for federal purposes (flights, entering federal buildings, etc.).
• Many schools may consider you an international student and charge you accordingly....which is crazy expensive compared to resident rates.

I may have missed some things as well. Some of those points may be important to one individual but not another.

Edited October 15, 2017 by geowrian

[Lemonslice 4,961]

7 minutes ago, geowrian said:

Until AOS is approved:

• You could become unlawfully present at any moment if AOS is denied.
• You cannot work until you have an EAD.
  • You cannot get an SSN until you have an EAD (barring those who can & did obtain one before their legal status expired).
  • A Social Security card obtained via K-1 status or an EAD is restricted ("Requires DHS Authorization" is printed across it).
• You cannot travel abroad (and return) until you have AP.
  • Travel on AP is not only not guaranteed (only USCs are guaranteed entry). But being denied entry with a clean record and valid LPR status is extremely unlikely...less likely than traveling on AP.
  • If AOS is denied while you are abroad (on AP), you are SOL and need a new visa to enter.
• You don't have an actual legal status...just authorized stay.
  • As such, you cannot get a state ID or driver's license in some states (or it expires shortly).
  • In Real ID states, the state ID or driver's license will state that it is not for federal purposes (flights, entering federal buildings, etc.).
• Many schools may consider you an international student and charge you accordingly....which is crazy expensive compared to resident rates.

I may have missed some things as well. Some of those points may be important to one individual but not another.

I wish people opting for the K1 path would realize these things.  They can be impatient - however, it is still the path they chose.  [CR1/IR1 people usually have a longer separation, so nothing is easy - but, ultimately, all should own their choices and associated inconveniences - good for them if whining on the internet helps them deal with that]

[NikLR 13,232]

K1 is faster to visa

CR1 is faster to green card

 

People who complain about not wanting to be apart but then complain it takes time to get to the green card, IMHO don't have much of a base to stand on.  You could have chosen a different route but decided to be together faster.  Living with the consequences of your actions is part of being a grown up.  You chose the route.  You had a choice!  I guess if whining about it makes you feel better, whine away and I avoid those threads obviously; but it won't change the choices you made.   

[-Trinity- 513]

3 hours ago, TriloByte said:

I am simply trying to determine if I am missing something critical that would result in us being separated.

I understand what you're saying. I have the same outlook with ROC and the last step citizen ship. Right now I'm relieved that the AOS waiting game is over and I feel now that I finally can relax. But sometimes I read posts about ROC and citizenship and people being worried and waiting anxiously and I think to myself: am I missing something? 

 

I decided; I'm not gonna stress beforehand, I'm convinced that I will have enough time to stress when I go through that process.

 

In the meantime I read as much on this site as possible to be prepared.

Edited October 15, 2017 by Beachlover

[AshMarty 360]

Speaking for myself and my husband (who are both used to having careers and love traveling).

 

We are living on one income, which has been fine  we feel like our life in on hold while we wait. I work in a hospital and can pick up overtime as needed but he gets frustrated that he can't got out and contribute to the household. We also love travelling together and all our international trips are on hold for now until his travel papers are approved.

 

 To be honest I would have a difficult time not having a purpose of a career for bout 5 months either ( I worked for years to get where I am in my career and if roles were reversed I would be losing my mind), so I am trying to help him fill in him time as best as he can while I work but its a long wait. 

 

But that is why we get frustrated at times. 

 

 

[Lemonslice 4,961]

1 minute ago, AshMarty said:

Speaking for myself and my husband (who are both used to having careers and love traveling).

 

We are living on one income, which has been fine  we feel like our life in on hold while we wait. I work in a hospital and can pick up overtime as needed but he gets frustrated that he can't got out and contribute to the household. We also love travelling together and all our international trips are on hold for now until his travel papers are approved.

 

 To be honest I would have a difficult time not having a purpose of a career for bout 5 months either ( I worked for years to get where I am in my career and if roles were reversed I would be losing my mind), so I am trying to help him fill in him time as best as he can while I work but its a long wait. 

 

But that is why we get frustrated at times. 

 

 

I understand.  That is exactly why K1 was not an acceptable solution for me - I travel for work basically, no way I could pretend to be a housewife for months.  

[AshMarty 360]

12 minutes ago, Lemonslice said:

I understand.  That is exactly why K1 was not an acceptable solution for me - I travel for work basically, no way I could pretend to be a housewife for months.  

My husband probably has more patience then I would and I am so gratefully he is willing to go through this process for me. For now we joke around that he is a full time dog dad, to our lovable furball. 

 

He had a third interview with a company this week which is promising. We are hoping that the EAD is right around the corner or else we will expedite it. Once we have his EAD/AP papers we will be so much more content with the process

 

We knew it was going to be a wait. We were initially under the impression that EAD/AP would be less than 90 days but we are past that time frame now and I guess times have changed with processing in the more recent months. There is no great solution really to immigration.

Edited October 15, 2017 by AshMarty

[valkyriex 194]

5 hours ago, TriloByte said:

I’m new to the AOS game so maybe I’m missing something when I see people upset about having to wait on USCIS for AOS. Maybe it’s the fact that my wife doesn’t plan on working or leaving the US that makes us not care how long USCIS takes?

 

I would like to know why people seem to be upset that AOStakes a long time? I cared how long the K1 process took because I was separated from my Love, but for AOS I don’t care at all how long AOS takes because we are together. Should I care? Is there something I am missing that would make me care? When I see people seemingly upset over the wait I get paranoid that I am missing something.

One thought I would like to share with you.

 

k1 isn't the end of the process right? People care so much including myself is because it is my future.. All I want is to have my legal status to be with my wife with NO CONDITIONS. Isn't that a good feeling? Being a normal couple - I would say in the means of doing what you want freely and legally. I would love to work asap to help my wife cos she's the only one working right now. Well if you have no money issues you probably don't find the whole process important you can just sit there and relax (im talking as an applicant not the petitioner) 

 

But again it's case to case. I would like to say i rather have ead first then GC later. It has been almost a year since we filed 129f and I just hate waiting. Can't wait to be NORMAL again 

 

Val

Edited October 15, 2017 by Valex

[TriloByte 1,818]

2 hours ago, NikLR said:

K1 is faster to visa

CR1 is faster to green card

 

People who complain about not wanting to be apart but then complain it takes time to get to the green card, IMHO don't have much of a base to stand on.  You could have chosen a different route but decided to be together faster.  Living with the consequences of your actions is part of being a grown up.  You chose the route.  You had a choice!  I guess if whining about it makes you feel better, whine away and I avoid those threads obviously; but it won't change the choices you made.   

We definitely made the right choice then, even if we didn’t know it at the time. I thought they were about the same. 

Edited October 15, 2017 by TriloByte

[NikLR 13,232]

Just now, TriloByte said:

We definitely made the right choice then, even if we didn’t know it at the time.

Everyone is individual and there are multiple paths for people for this reason.  Do your research and be smart about picking a path.    

[NikLR 13,232]

9 minutes ago, Valex said:

One thought I would like to share with you.

 

k1 isn't the end of the process right? People care so much including myself is because it is my future.. All I want is to have my legal status to be with my wife with NO CONDITIONS. Isn't that a good feeling? Being a normal couple - I would say in the means of doing what you want freely and legally. I would love to work asap to help my wife cos she's the only one working right now. Well if you have no money issues you probably don't find the whole process important you can just sit there and relax (im talking as an applicant not the petitioner) 

 

But again it's case to case. I would like to say i rather have ead first then GC later. It has been almost a year since we filed 129f and I just hate waiting. Can't wait to be NORMAL again 

 

Val

So why didn't you guys get married first?  Obviously living together was more important to you than being able to financially help your household.  You picked the path that suited what you felt were the most important things.  

 

Really the immigration path doesn't stop until you get citizenship or are satisfied with a GC only. 

[valkyriex 194]

1 minute ago, NikLR said:

So why didn't you guys get married first?  Obviously living together was more important to you than being able to financially help your household.  You picked the path that suited what you felt were the most important things.  

 

Really the immigration path doesn't stop until you get citizenship or are satisfied with a GC only. 

Same sex marriage

 

it's impossible in ASIA.

 

I'm sorry but i find your comment offensive. You don't know my story. 

You don't question people's decision here. 

 

Im aware of the immigration process. One step at a time. Im just saying having a GC is better than having no status at all right?

 

[doggieandsam 765]

i guess it all just depends on what your current situation requires. speaking from the point of view from an applicant - i also do not feel a "rush" to get the green card but don't get me wrong though, i am not saying getting the green card soon is not great (if only so that one gets a break from dealing with immigration), but i do not envision feeling the frustration or the angst of waiting for it compared to say, when we filed the I-129F. i felt frustrated during that time because like OP I was away from my fiance and it sucked. but now that we are together, then waiting for the AOS to be completed is somewhat bearable. i am not the housewife type but working for 10 straight years prior to moving to the US, i actually welcome the break until my EAD comes. i am lucky i guess in a way that i don't have to rush to be employed and my husband and i live in a state where I can easily move around without driving and i was able to get an SSN, bank accounts, etc without an EAD.

[JR loves JR 196]

Our ultimate goal is to be done with immigration which means citizenship to us. I'm tired of collecting evidence, debating if I have enough to satisfy some stranger, and worrying about traveling abroad. So a long wait for AOS meant a longer wait for everything else. We're currently waiting for ROC which is WAY less stressful that AOS was to me because the clock for citizenship continues to move forward even though we're most likely stalled at this stage for the next year.

 

If your wife is content staying home, has her driver's license (or doesn't care to get one), has no upcoming reasons to leave the country, and isn't in a hurry for the immigration fiasco to end, then consider yourself fortunate and just live your lives as law abiding residents. You aren't missing anything worth being worried about.